166k views
25 votes
what are the key features of the graph of a trigonometric function? How do you find them from a graph or an equation?

1 Answer

13 votes

Answer:

The basic sine and cosine functions have a period of 2π. The function sin x is odd, so its graph is symmetric about the origin. The function cos x is even, so its graph is symmetric about the y-axis. The graph of a sinusoidal function has the same general shape as a sine or cosine function.

They are the three x-intercepts, the maximum point, and the minimum point. All of these are on your unit circle. The values of sin x correspond to the y-values, so those key points are (angle, y-value) or (0,0), (π/2, 1), (π, 0), (3π/2, -1), (2π, 0).

User Andres Castro
by
5.2k points